Which online course platform is best for digital creators, influencers, and coaches?

Have you ever wished you could monetize off a skill or talent you have? Maybe you build HTML, are an expert at social media, or even excel in leadership skills.

There has never been a better time to start creating, selling, and managing online courses. 

If you are an entrepreneur, speaker, author, coach, or you are even running a successful online business and think you have tips to share, you can start selling this knowledge by creating powerful online classrooms.

But there are a lot of programs out there to run your course, so how should you decide where to build your business? 

Today, we will be taking a look at two programs, Udemy and Teachable, to help you decide which one to pick.

Udemy VS. Teachable – Online Course Platform Comparison 

Udemy

What is Udemy?

Udemy is an American educational and technology company founded in 2010. The company allows users to become online instructors, as well as take courses to learn fundamental career skills such as teacher certification, HTML coding, and more. 

There are currently over 200,000 courses in their catalog, and you can join both as a student and a teacher.

How does Udemy work as an instructor?

There are over 57 million students currently on Udemy. You have the opportunity to reach a wide range. There are also courses available in 75 languages and over 180 countries, so you can teach in a native or second language if you want, as well as from all over the world.

If you have never taught a course before, Udemy gives you a quick guide on how to produce, manage, and promote your courses.

It’s important to remember that there are real students behind the screen. So you should make sure to respond to reviews and questions, and help your students out. This will increase your rating and allow you to have more students, and therefore be able to grow your business. 

While creating your course, you should also remember to use multiple forms of media and make sure your course is engaging for the students. Again, this will increase your rankings and allow for you to connect more with the users.

Udemy offers a teachers dashboard for you to manage all your courses, as well as outlines and templates for your courses. Below is what your dashboard will look like.

How much money do Udemy instructors make?

According to Glassdoor, in 2023 an average Udemy instructor made $93,000 per year. This has increased from previous years. So clearly, this can be a very lucrative position for instructors. 

Udemy pays its teachers in two ways. The first way is through referral codes. If someone uses your referral link or code, meaning they came to Udemy specifically for your course, you will receive 97% of the sale value. So if your course is $100, you receive $97.

The second way is if someone pays for your course in the marketplace. You will then receive only 37% of the total sale value.

The most beneficial way to use Udemy is to make sure you are promoting your course. If you already have a large following or loyal customers, this shouldn’t be a problem. 

Unlike many online course creation platforms, there is no fee to be an instructor. So although you are getting a fraction of your revenue, you don’t have to worry about monthly fees or plans.

Taking Courses on Udemy

Even though you might be an expert in your field, there is no harm in learning a new skill or two. You can both teach and become a student on Udemy, and perhaps you will want to view one of the 200,000 courses available on the site.

You can pay for classes individually, which range from $20 USD to $200 USD, or purchase a monthly plan for $16.58. This personal plan gives you access to 8,000 courses from their catalog that focus in areas of technology and business, as well as some personal development, such as language learning and the arts.

Whether you want to learn or a new skill, brush up on your HTML, or even see what your competition is, there is always more to learn with digital creators.

Teachable

What is Teachable?

Teachable is a software company that helps online business owners, coaches, social media influencers, and more, create, sell, and manage online courses. 

The company was founded in 2014 and currently has over 100,00 creators on their site. One of the most popular course creation platforms in the world, Teachable’s creators have made a combined earning of over $500 million. 

How does Teachable work?

Teachable offers a few different plans for instructors. 

While there is a free plan, you can also pay to upgrade in order to create more courses, host more students, and overall make more money.

You can completely customize your course, from the font and the colors to the template and the design. All of this can be done in your teaching dashboard, which is below.

You can name your school, customize your domain, and even create a landing page. Teachable allows you to fully create an online business all in one place.

Once you pick a name for your course, you can start uploading content to the class. 

This includes specific lessons and sections, as well as making sure to outline the whole of the class. 

You should always make sure your course is stocked full of multiple forms of media, as it is the best way to insure your students will get the most out of your class. This includes video, PDFS, audio, and more.

Below is an example of how you will upload your content. 

How much does Teachable cost?

While you can always stay on the free plan, there are multiple premium plans that will enhance your experience. In order to make the most money from Teachable, upgrading to a premium plan is recommended. You set your own prices on Teachable, so your payment will be decided from there.

The free plan allows you to create only one course. While you can have unlimited students, and receive access to the website builder, one course may limit your ability to reach a range of students. However, you have access to referral marketing and tax handling. Transaction fees could be anywhere from 1 to 10%, which will add up.

Teachable’s Basic plan is $39 a month. This allows you to have two admin users on the account. You will also have a transaction fee of 5%.  You can create a private community and create up to 5 separate courses. You are also able to integrate with apps such as Mail Chimp, Facebook, and Google Analytics so you can promote your courses more rapidly.

Teachable’s Pro plan is $199 a month. This plan allows you to have 0% transaction fees, which will save you money. You can also have up to five admin users, and you have the ability to create unlimited courses. With access to affiliate marketing and live chat, this is one of the most popular plans and one of the best values you can get.

Teachable’s Business plan is $375 a month. It is their most extensive plan. You can have up to 20 admin users and have access to advanced theme customization, advanced reporting, and priority support.

Which program will you choose? Do you use an alternative? Let us know down below.